Category Archives: Brain Conditions

When the brain becomes inefficient or flawed in its processing of stimuli, numerous health issues will result, making everyday life difficult to manage. However, the brain is plastic, it can learn and change at any stage of life, and many functions can be recovered with the right stimulus. Direct sensory stimulation is proving effective in enhancing neural firing and mapping of information pathways.

Sound Therapy is an easy, efficient way to provide stimulus to improve brain firing, re-patterning and integration. It can be used by anyone, at home, with minimal support and is very cost effective.

Right and left brain hemispheres

The left brain hemisphere is the language-processing centre. The right brain is used for spatial judgment, movement, drawing, music, mathematics and technical abilities. Brain integration is one of the keys to improving memory, concentration, creativity, energy levels, IQ, EQ and many other markers of intelligence.

Sound therapy works on both sides to develop areas where we might be weak and improve communication between the hemispheres. For this reason Sound Therapy listeners often find themselves developing new abilities and overcoming blocks.

Why are high frequencies important for the Brain?

Through his study of embryology, Tomatis realised that the first sounds we hear are high frequency sounds because the area of the cochlea which detects high frequencies is the first to develop.

Through his experiments Tomatis showed that high frequency sounds serve as a vital and necessary stimulant for cortical activity. The brain needs high frequencies in order to be fully functional. The electrical charge of the brain, the energy on which it runs, needs to be regularly replenished and Tomatis discovered a way to do this by using specially processed sounds.

The cerebellum

The cerebellum plays a significant role in sensory co-ordination, both visual and auditory, and has been dubbed the autopilot of the brain. It is an area of the brain about the size of your fist, which sits behind the brainstem at the base of your skull. Sound Therapy researchers now believe that any learning difficulty associated with auditory processing problems is linked to the cerebellum.

Researchers are only now beginning to unravel the deeply important role of the cerebellum, for while it directs no specific body functions, it operates as monitor and coordinator of the brain’s other centres and as mediator between them and the body.

It has been known for some time that the cerebellum was responsible for the management of the body’s equilibrium and muscular activity. However, it has more recently come to light that the cerebellum is equally involved in the co-ordination of the sensations of touch, hearing and sight.

Sound Therapy brings about improved function and brain integration of cerebellar pathways and this means that many areas of our sensory and motor function are improved.

Neuralgia is pain that follows the path of a nerve. Pain can result from pressure, damage, inflammation or aggravation of the nerves.

Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal Neuralgia (TN) is the pain caused by compression of the trigeminal nerve, the largest of the twelve nerves in the cranium. The trigeminal nerve is primarily responsible for sensation in the face and one of its three branches is responsible for the movement of the jaw as well. The trigeminal nerve Has several connections to the ear and ear drum and can be associated with TMJ, (tempero-mandibular joint) pain, ear aches and stuffy ears One of the major causes of trigeminal neuralgia is the erosion of the nerve sheath which is actually a loss of the myelin covering of the nerve. Some other causes may include compression by an adjacent blood vessel, physical damage by dental or other surgeries, genetic predisposition or rarely, a tumor or multiple sclerosis. Abnormalities usually occur at the inner nerve fibers that carry the sensation.

The trigeminal nerve is similar to other sensory nerves like the sciatic nerve in the spinal region and the pain caused by compression can be as excruciating as sciatica.

Shingles and neuralgia

Shingles is an infection that results from the reactivation of the chickenpox virus and causes a painful, blistering rash. Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a complication of shingles, causing ongoing pain after the rash has cleared. It’s most likely in older people, and causes continuing pain, after the rash from shingles has healed. The pain is caused by scarring of nervous system tissue in the spinal cord. It may be burning, stabbing, or throbbing, and it may affect more areas than the original shingles pain. The pain can occur in response to minor stimuli. Normally painless things (such as the light touch of clothing) can cause pain, and things that would normally cause slight discomfort become extremely painful.

Relief for neuralgia

Natural therapies are often used to relieve neuralgia as it is a difficult condition to treat with standard medicine. Relief can be achieved through improve circulation, reduced hyperactivity of the cranial nerves, reduced stress, improved myelination, neural plasticity and inhibition of excess excitation. It is proposed that some of these conditions can be supported by the use of Sound Therapy.

Sound Therapy listeners report relief from neuralgia

“I had a major operation on my leg some years ago and ended up with a lot of nerve damage and resulting pain. When I use Sound Therapy I have no pain in that foot and when I don’t use it I do. We know Sound Therapy has a profound effect on the nervous system, so it helps us both emotionally and physically.” Carol King, Massage Therapist “Shingles on my face had affected the nerves to my face and head and left some inflammation and damage so they were acute to touch with shooting pains in my face, ear and head. This has now gone. When I first started Sound Therapy the condition was greatly stirred up, so I had to go slowly at first, but it was resolved in less than six months. Naturopath Rose Ann Hamilton, Charters Towers, Qld

Chronic Pain and Sound Therapy

Chronic pain can occur because there is an injury or disease in the body that needs attention. The best solution is obviously to find the cause of the disease or injury and treat it, if possible. But pain can become chronic for another reason. Chronic pain specialists, ask the question, “why does the pain continue long after the injury occurred?”

The answer seems to lie in the fact that all our body parts are constantly sending signals to the brain along our nerve pathways. However, when a body part, say a foot, is injured, that foot stops sending those messages that were letting the brain know, “yes, I’m here, I have five toes, I’m bearing weight, I’m OK” etc.

When those familiar messages cease, the brain assumes the foot has been injured or there is something wrong, so it creates another signal, a distress signal, called “pain.” In the healing process, if the foot does not regain full function, if there is scarring, or nerves have been severed, or the nerves in the pain system are also injured, the normal signals never resume, so it is possible that the pain signal will continue on and on.

Pain and neuroplasticity

Chronic pain can be due to neuroplasticity. This means the brain has changed its structure and its way of communicating pain messages, so these messages have become continuous after the injury has healed. However, neuroplasticity ( the ability of the brain to change) can also lead to healing form chronic pain.

Sound Therapy and how it affects chronic pain

Sound is a direct and easy way to stimulate the brain. Sound Therapy uses highly filtered classical music with augmented high frequencies to produce global brain reactivation. It has been observed that this regular stimulation which reconnects many parts of the brain seems to provide the necessary signal so the brain can let go of its repetitive chronic pain signal. Those with chronic pain from old injuries or phantom pain from amputation have sometimes achieved complete relief through Sound Therapy.

Listeners report how Sound Therapy relieved their chronic pain

“After 16 years of almost constant phantom pain due to amputation of my right leg from a car accident, I feel I have now found an answer. When I got my Sound Therapy I had some response almost at once, and it kept getting better. I didn’t really believe it would help when I started; I had used so many things for phantom pain, even self hypnosis, and had to take painkillers 3 or 4 times a day. Now I rarely take them, and only for some other complaint. The good results continue. It truly seems like a miracle.” Dr. Kathleen Langstaff, Naramata, BC, Canada

“My husband suffered for many years with very bad headaches, which sometimes lasted for several days. Since receiving our Sound Therapy four months ago, we have each averaged more than 4 hours a day of listening. Since the first week or two my husband has not had any more of those headaches. It has also helped me, by lowering my blood pressure and giving me much more energy. My husband is 75 and I am 73. Your Sound Therapy sure is a gift for us older people, as well as the younger ones.” Lorna Cooley, Victoria, BC, Canada:

“My pain is not as sharp and my sleep is less. The colours are beautiful. They stand out heaps and are richer and brighter. Reading – there are more gaps in between the letters. They stand out even more. This has helped a lot for me. Life is so much easier now. But of course I feel like a new person. The world has changed a lot.” Larissa Amy, 13 year old girl with ADD and Higher Functioning Autism – Sydney

Brenda Dickerson experienced soreness behind her ears and in her jaw for a long time. She has found that with Sound Therapy the soreness is going. She can now push her fingers in and not scream in pain. “So that is quite impressive as far as I am concerned,” she says, “because nothing else could stop it. Any heavy massage hurts too much.” From Triumph Over Tinnitus Interview with Brenda Dickerson, Reflexologist

“Probably the biggest thing that Sound Therapy has done for me would be the, in regard to my hearing. But also I have had for about 12 years, problems with my feet which were caused by breaking both my heel bones in a fall off a scaffold. Since then I had almost nightly problems with burning and a nervous sort of reaction in my feet. But since I started Sound Therapy I haven’t had one night’s problem. The other problem with my feet was quite a deal of pain, most of the time. And after I’d been listening for about 3 months, that all dissipated and now I have very little pain in my feet.

I think Sound Therapy could be given the credit for the feet, because I’ve done nothing else that could have done it and I suppose it’s hard to believe but Sound Therapy is the only thing that’s been around.” Don Clark, Builder

“I had a major operation on my leg some years ago and ended up with a lot of nerve damage and resulting pain. When I use Sound Therapy I have no pain in that foot and when I don’t use it I do. We know Sound Therapy has a profound effect on the nervous system, so it helps us both emotionally and physically.” Carol King, Massage Therapist

Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder caused by a degenerative condition of the central nervous system that often impairs the sufferer’s motor skills, speech, and other functions.

The primary symptoms are the results of decreased stimulation of the motor cortex by the basal ganglia, (an area of the brain associated with a variety of functions, including motor control and learning) Parkinson’s occurs when certain nerve cells (neurons) in a part of the brain called the substantia nigra die or become impaired. Normally, these cells produce a vital chemical known as dopamine. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter which gives us our inspiration and ability to “get up and go.”

Dopamine allows smooth, coordinated function of the body’s muscles and movement. When approximately 70% of the dopamine-producing cells are damaged, the symptoms of Parkinson disease will appear. PD is both chronic and progressive.

Major symptoms 1. Tremor, (shaking, trembling) 2. Rigidity or stiffness of the muscles and inability to control movement 3. Slowness of movement, poor fine motor control

Other symptoms: Some patients experience pain and discomfort in an arm or leg, anxiety and depression, slowness of thinking, memory problems, tiredness and disturbed sleep. Other possible symptoms are constipation, bladder problems (frequency and urgency.) Speech and swallowing problems can occur later in the illness. Secondary symptoms may include high level cognitive dysfunction and subtle language problems.

Brain stimulation and Parkinson’s Research has clearly established that different types of brain stimulation can dramatically improve the symptoms of Parkinson’s. Studies have also found that music (specifically Mozart) can improve the transmission of dopamine and serotonin – the neurotransmitters associated with Parkinson’s. Combining music with a very specific type of high frequency stimulation, Sound Therapy is a promising and supportive treatment for those with Parkinson’s.

“I have Parkinson’s Disease. I lie down every day and put on my headphones and go into a very peaceful and restful sleep. I think Sound Therapy is beneficial to the stress that this malady brings on. Depression seems to be one of the worst side effects, and this is where Sound Therapy works wonders, making me feel re-enforced to carry on my daily tasks.” Marjorie Noyes, White Rock, BC, Canada:

Multiple Sclerosis is a slowly progressive “chronic” disease of the central nervous system where myelin, the insulation on nerve fibers, is lost. It affects the ability of nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord to communicate with each other.

Communication between nerve cells occurs by the sending of electrical signals, called action potentials, along fibers called axons, which are wrapped in an insulating substance called myelin. Myelin is the fatty layer—known as the myelin sheath—which helps the neurons carry electrical signals along the nerve fibres. It is the main component of the white matter of the brain and spinal cord. In MS, the body’s own immune system attacks and damages the myelin.

When myelin is lost, this affects the ability of the axons to communicate effectively. The name multiple sclerosis refers to scars (scleroses— which are better known as plaques or lesions) in the myelin.

MS is thought to be an autoimmune dysfunction in which the body turns on itself for some unknown reason. Demyelination (damage to the myelin sheath) contributes to loss of muscular and nervous system function. Areas of the brain that are heavily myelinated are more effective in conducting high frequency signals. Therefore demyelination contributes to a loss of hearing acuity and balance problems. Some degree of relief and prevention or slowing of further degradation may be achieved through Sound Therapy. Sound Therapy stimulates many parts of the nervous system apart from the hearing nerves. Research findings suggest that auditory deprivation from birth results in less myelination and/or fewer fibers projecting to and from auditory cortices. Therefore increased auditory stimulation may be a factor in helping to maintain myelination of certain pathways.

The symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) can affect your ability to move around. You may be experiencing tightness, pain, and weakness, especially in the muscles and joints.

Sound Therapy can help with many of the symptoms associated with MS such as:

How Sound Therapy helped one Multiple Sclerosis sufferer “I suffer from MS and have been listening to the Sound Therapy for about three months. I have had great luck in stabilizing my energy and can carry on normally. Nothing else I have done has helped me the way Sound Therapy has. The M stands for multiple or many, and so I need to do a lot of things, but the sound therapy program really has helped bring it all together and make it worthwhile. It is a life saver to me. It also keeps headaches at bay.” Lorna Graham, Hardings Point, Clifton Royal, NB, USA:

Dementia is the loss of memory, attention and cognitive ability due to progressive brain damage or deterioration, usually associated with aging. Dementia may be caused by a series of small strokes, or it may be caused by Alzheimer’s, a degenerative condition where brain tissue progressively withers and shrinks. Much can be achieved in treating (or preventing) dementia with improved nutrition, reduced chemical toxins and vitamin and mineral supplementation. In addition, Sound Therapy may be very helpful by directly stimulating brain function at a vibrational level.

Sound Therapy is extensively used by older people undergoing various forms of health crises or degeneration. It may bring solace and comfort, a sense of inner calm, deeper sleep, and often better mental balance, awareness and focus. In early stages of dementia Sound Therapy can be introduced with ease, to be worn during the day or at night while sleeping. It will generally be welcomed by the patient and may give them an immediate sense of relief and inner connection and balance. Carers and family of certain dementia patients have observed that the patient becomes happier, more co-operative, more aware, and more like their old self. Sound Therapy may delay the progress of dementia and make life more pleasant and manageable for both the patient and their carers.

Schizophrenia is thought to be related to irregular levels of dopamine. Too much dopamine is associated with hallucinations and paranoia, while too little dopamine in the frontal lobes is linked to depression and the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Several areas of the brain are involved in the production of dopamine, and many varied disorders are related to its irregularity.

The condition is thought to be linked with missing ‘balancing’ mechanisms between the left and right halves of your brain. Prior studies revealed structural differences in patients. More recent studies show a healthy brain emphasises sound from the right ear, as a kind of ‘dominant ear’. Scientists believe schizophrenic sufferers lack this dominance of the right ear and the associated sound-processing-center in the left half of the brain.

Sound Therapy may assist in regulating the production of dopamine and other neurotransmitters, which would account in part for its positive effect on many mood related disorders. While no controlled studies have been done on Sound Therapy for schizophrenia, individual reports have indicated that it could have very beneficial effects in some cases.

After a brain damage caused by injury there is always a chance of recovery to varying degrees. Sound Therapy is an intervention which may increase the probability of a faster and more total recovery. The sooner it is introduced after the injury or stroke, the greater the likelihood of healing. Some stroke patients who use Sound Therapy have been seen to make an unexpectedly quick recovery, often with functioning returned to a surprisingly high level.

After brain damage the brain is faced with having to develop new pathways or reroute information to compensate for the damaged area. Sound Therapy may be effective in helping to create new brain pathways and reforming essential connections between more distant parts of the brain. The complex, multilayered harmonic and melodic information within the classical music stimulates many parts of the brain, helping to engender a form and structure which assists with various forms of sensory processing.

Sound Therapy may improve integration in the cerebellum, an area near the brain stem which controls many automatic functions and overall sensory and motor integration. The filtering which causes sudden bursts of high frequency sound may stimulate increased firing of neurons. When a neuron fires, it sends a message to other neurons in both chemical and electrical form. Often the process of firing off a message also creates new interneuronal connections called dendrites or axons. This means that using Sound Therapy may build new brain connections, increasing the neural network, exactly what is needed to recover from a stroke.

After a stroke or brain damage caused by injury there is always a chance of recovery to varying degrees. Sound Therapy is an intervention which may increase the probability of a faster and more total recovery. The sooner it is introduced after the injury or stroke, the greater the likelihood of healing. Some stroke patients who use Sound Therapy have been seen to make an unexpectedly quick recovery, often with functioning returned to a surprisingly high level.

After stroke or brain damage the brain is faced with having to develop new pathways or reroute information to compensate for the damaged area. Sound Therapy may be effective in helping to create new brain pathways and reforming essential connections between more distant parts of the brain. The complex, multilayered harmonic and melodic information within the classical music stimulates many parts of the brain, helping to engender a form and structure which assists with various forms of sensory processing.

Sound Therapy may improve integration in the cerebellum, an area near the brain stem which controls many automatic functions and overall sensory and motor integration. The filtering which causes sudden bursts of high frequency sound may stimulate increased firing of neurons. When a neuron fires, it sends a message to other neurons in both chemical and electrical form. Often the process of firing off a message also creates new interneuronal connections called dendrites or axons. This means that using Sound Therapy may build new brain connections, increasing the neural network, exactly what is needed to recover from a stroke.